This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.

Friday, June 18, 2010

today's harvest

Finally I have a chance to escape to the garden. This summer is turning out to be very busy and keeping me away from the plot. But with the regular rain, everything is growing fine without my attention. I have a fantastic crop of broccoli now ready to pick. Also the beets are sizing up.

This harvest includes one head of broccoli (Blue Wind, Johnny's), beets (Chiogga and Detroit White) and a couple little radish (French Breakfast).

9 Comments:

Nothing is keeping bugs away. I have been lucky and my broccoli is perfect (knock on wood). I do have a few miners in the beets, maybe 1/5th of the leaves.

I will post photos soon of my cabbage and radicchio leaves that have a problem. I don't know what it is. I need to upload the photos still. Maybe tomorrow... I almost think it looks like the leaves are burnt in many spots.

Maybe ladybugs and/or syrphid flies are eating the pests before they can chomp those beautiful broccoli leaves. Did you plant extra flowers for the honeybees? Or maybe some herbs have bolted and gone to flowering. The nectar in the flowers is good for syrphids, too.

Thanks for the comment! I try very hard to add flowers. These help vegetable crops for many reasons. Right now, I have only my bolted mustards flowering. They were so pretty that I "let go" a whole row. I have planted many annual seeds that will bloom soon, but I'm waiting still.

A nice thing about a community plot is that there are lots of nearby flowers.

Right now is a lull for flowers. Spring blooming perennials are finished and midsummer perennials and annuals are one the way. I was thinking today about adding more midseason flowers. I'm glad if the flowers I have are the reason my broccoli are doing well.